Flexible container liner

ABSTRACT

A liner ( 10 ) is disclosed for use with a container. The liner has a liner body ( 11 ) with a bottom wall ( 13 ), a top wall ( 14 ) and peripheral side walls ( 15 ). The liner also includes a ween plate ( 21 ). The weep plate includes a radial array of protrusions ( 22 ) extending inwardly and downwardly from a generally planar base plate ( 23 ). The base also includes a centrally located circular fitment mounting opening ( 25 ). A hose fitment ( 29 ) extends through the liner top wall and weep plate fitment mounting opening and is sealed thereto so that a vacuum hose coupled to the fitment is in fluid communication with the interior space of the liner. The weep plate has a select width and length smaller that the select width and length of the liner to define a margin or marginal space ( 32 ) therebetween.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to liners used in conjunction with containers,and particularly to intermediate bulk container liners which areevacuated with the use of a suction pump.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flexible liners are oftentimes utilized in conjunction with anintermediate bulk containers which are typically 42 to 48 inches islength, width and height, to ship large quantities of liquid, viscous orgranular products. A problem long associated with the use of such linershas been the complete or near-complete evacuation of the contents fromwithin the liner. As such, some liners have utilized pressurized regionsto lift or angle the bottom of the liner or to move the interiorsidewalls inwardly so as to move the contents closer to the outlet ofthe liner. While these devices have aided in the evacuation of the linerthe can still result in rather large quantities of content remainingwithin the liner. This type of container also requires the use ofadditional pressurizing equipment to pressurize the inflatable regions.

Liners have also been designed with only a top fitment so that a vacuumhose head may be positioned within the top fitment to vacuum out thecontents of the liner. A problem associated with this type of liner hasbeen that as the contents are evacuated the liner material oftentimesfolds and contacts another portion of the liner, thereby blocking theevacuation path. As such, an unacceptable amount of content material mayagain remain within the liner.

Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a liner that can moreefficiently evacuate the contents, especially those used withintermediate bulk containers. It is to the provision of such thereforethat the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A flexible liner for use with a container comprises a main body having abottom wall, a top wall, and side walls extending between the bottomwall and the top wall. The bottom weal, top wall, and side walls havingan interior surface and an exterior surface. The liner also has a weepplate mounted to the top wall interior surface. The weep plate has afitment mounting opening therethrough and a field of protrusionsdepending downwardly from a base plate. The liner also has a hosefitment coupled to the weep plate fitment mounting opening. With thisconstruction, the protrusions direct the flow of contents within theliner towards the fitment mounting opening during evacuation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective, partially exploded view of a flexible linerembodying principles of the invention in a preferred form.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a weep plate, showninverted for clarity, of the flexible liner of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a series of side views of the pressurized liner ofFIG. 1, showing the liner being evacuated.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a protrusion in another preferred formof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference next to the drawings, there is shown a liner 10 embodyingprinciples of the invention in a preferred form. The liner 10 isconfigured to be used in conjunction with a container C, which ispreferably in the form of a rigid intermediate bulk container but whichmay also be in the form of a flexible bag or a semi-rigid container.

The liner 10 has a liner body 11 with a bottom wall 13, a top wall 14and four peripheral side walls 15 extending between the bottom wall andtop wall so as to define a generally box shape configuration. The linerbody 11 thus has an exterior surface 17 and an interior surface 18. Thebox shape can be described generally as a rectangular prism, although itshould be understood that due to the nature of flexible materials thewalls follow the shape of the container. Furthermore, flexibility of theplastic material enables the walls to collapse during dispensing withoutinterference. The liner body may be made of a plastic sheet or filmmaterial such as a polyethylene film.

The liner 10 preferably also includes a rectangular weep plate 21centrally mounted to the interior surface 18 of the top wall 14. Theweep plate 21 includes a field of protrusions 22 which extend inwardlyand downwardly from a generally planar base or base plate 23. Theprotrusions are arranged in a generally radial pattern, and are shown inthe preferred embodiment as elongated, rounded ridges, as best shown inFIG. 2. However, it should be understood that the protrusions may be inalmost any form, including but not limited to half spheres, rectangularridges, ovals, cones, etc. or the truncated cones of FIG. 5 Theprotrusions define spaces or channels 24 therebetween through which atleast a portion of the contents is intended to flow through duringevacuation. The base plate 23 also includes a centrally located circularfitment mounting opening 25. The weep plate 21 may be made of a plastic,such as a high density polyethylene, polypropylene or expanded foam. Asan alternative structure, the weep plate 21 may be enclosed by a thinfilm or additional layer 27 of flexible material mounted below the weepplate, thus encasing the weep plate between the top wall 14 and theadditional layer 27.

A cylindrical, hose content inlet/outlet port or fitment 29, having afitment cap 30, extends through the liner top wall 14 and weep platefitment mounting opening 25 and is sealed thereto. A vacuum hose VH maybe coupled to the fitment in fluid communication with the interior spaceof the liner, as described in more detail hereinafter.

The weep plate has a select width and length, along a horizontal plane,that is smaller that the select width and length of the liner top wallso as to define a margin or marginal space 32 of the top walltherebetween.

The liner may be constructed by forming a center band and then sealingend caps, which are the top and bottom walls, to the center band. Theweep plate 21 is sealed to the interior surface of the end cap whichforms the top wall.

In use, the contents to be stored within the liner, such as a liquid,powder, granules, etc., flow through the fitment 29 and into theinitially folded and collapsed liner 10. As the content fills the liner10 the liner gradually extends upwardly, due to the unfolding of theliner side walls and the increase in internal pressure caused by theinflow of material, until the liner is fully extended. Alternatively,the liner may be pre-inflated prior to the placement of materialstherein. The fitment 29 is then sealed or closed with the fitment cap 30and the liner and container C combination may be transported, as shownin FIG. 3.

When it is desired to empty or evacuate the contents from the liner 10the fitment cap 30 is removed and a suction or vacuum hose VH having anend or vacuum head H specifically designed to cooperate with the fitment29 is inserted into the fitment so as to extend past the bottom of thefitment. Alternatively, the fitment may be designed to include a vacuumhead which is already positioned within the interior of the liner so avacuum pipe or conduit is simply coupled to the exterior top end of thefitment. The protrusions of the weep plate are sized so that the end ofthe vacuum head may be slightly lower than the protrusions to insurethat the maximum amount of contents may be extracted.

The suction of the vacuum causes the contents to flow through thechannels 24 between the protrusion towards the vacuum head whilepreventing the formation of a blockage by the top wall coming in directcontact with the bottom wall, as shown in FIG. 4. The arrangement orpositioning of the protrusions creates channels which are preferably inalignment with the fitment. The height of the protrusions allows contactof the bottommost portion of the protrusions against the bottom wallwhile still allowing the flow of contents through these channels. Assuch, the protrusions prevent the top wall from making a continuoussealing contact with the bottom wall which may tend to block the flow ofcontents to the fitment.

As the liner is depleted of contents it naturally collapses with theside walls crumpling or folding upon itself. As such the weep plate ismade smaller than the cross-sectional area of the liner so that thecrumpled material does not interfere with the lowering of the weepplate. In other words, the margin 42 between the weep plate and linerside walls allows for the weep plate to continue downward until itcontacts or comes very close to the bottom wall 13 without the crumpledsidewalls interfering or blocking the downward movement of the weepplate.

As an additional feature, the liner 10 may include a press plate 40shown in FIG. 1, which adds rigidity to the weep plate and can becoupled to a mechanism that presses downwardly to increase the flow ofcontents. The press plate 40 includes a base 41 having elongated,radially and downwardly extending protrusions 42 and a central recess 43configured to receive the weep plate 21. The base 41 includes a fitmentopening 45 sized to receive or allow the passage therethrough of thefitment 29. The press plate 40 also has a peripheral sidewalls 46 whichextend upwardly from the base 41 and include grab holes and handles 47.

As an option, the liner 10 may also include a semi-rigid bottom plate 50which helps to maintain an unencumbered, fold free bottom layer toinsure unencumbered flow therebetween for maximum flow through theprotrusion channels 24. Preferably, the bottom plate 50 is mounted tothe interior surface 18 of the bottom wall 13.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiment is directedto a large liner, the invention may also be used in connection withsmall liners utilized within small containers, such as bag-in-boxsystems for distributing syrups and the like. Additionally, the linerand corresponding container may be in any conventional shape, such as acube, cone, sphere, cylinder, pillow-shaped or partial portion thereof,and is not limited to the rectangular prism of the preferred embodiment.

It should be understood that inwardly extending grooves, valleys, or thelike within a weep plate are considered to be an equivalent structure ofthe outwardly extending protrusions, since the areas which define suchgrooves should still be considered a protrusion as they are positionedrelatively lower than or protruding from the upwardly extending groove.

It should also be understood that the liner to wall need not be anentire or continuous wall, as it could include a peripheral portion ormargin sealed to the weep plate and extending to the side walls 15.

Lastly, it should be understood that the present invention is notlimited to a device which is used in conjunction with only liquidmaterials.

It thus is seen that a liner is now provided which overcomes problemsassociated with liners of the prior art. While this invention has beendescribed in detail with particular references to the preferredembodiments thereof, it should be understood that many modifications,additions and deletions, in addition to those expressly recited, may bemade thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A liner for use with a container, said liner comprising, a main body having a bottom wall, a top wall, and side walls extending between said bottom wall and said top wall, said bottom wall, said top wall, and said side walls having an interior surface and an exterior surface; a weep plate mounted to said top wall interior surface, said weep plate having a fitment mounting opening therethrough and a field of protrusions depending downwardly from a base plate, said field of protrusions defining content flow channels therebetween which are oriented in a direction toward said fitment mounting opening, and a hose fitment coupled to said weep plate fitment mounting opening, whereby the protrusions direct the flow of contents within the liner through the flow channels and towards the fitment mounting opening during evacuation.
 2. The liner of claim 1 wherein said protrusion are arranged in a radial array.
 3. The liner of claim 2 wherein said fitment mounting opening is located centrally within said radial array of protrusions.
 4. The liner of claim 1 wherein said liner has a select width and length and wherein said weep plate has a select width and length substantially smaller than said liner select width and length so as to define a marginal space therebetween.
 5. The liner of claim 1 further comprising a separate press plate positioned upon said liner top wall.
 6. The liner of claim 5 wherein said press plate includes a fitment opening and a recess configured to receive said weep plate.
 7. The liner of claim 6 wherein said press plate includes a radial array of downwardly extending protrusions positioned between the periphery of said press plate and said recess.
 8. The liner of claim 5 wherein said press plate includes a peripheral sidewall.
 9. The liner of claim 8 wherein said press plate sidewall include a handle.
 10. The liner of claim 1 further comprising an ancillary, flexible top wall layer positioned below said weep plate.
 11. The liner of claim 1 further comprising a bottom plate coupled to said bottom wall.
 12. The liner of claim 1 wherein said protrusions are truncated cones.
 13. A liner for use with a container, said liner comprising, a main body having a bottom wall, a top wall, and side walls extending between said bottom wall and said top wall; a weep plate coupled to said top wall, said weep plate having a fitment mounting opening therethrough and a plurality of protrusions extending from a base plate towards said bottom wall, and a fitment coupled to said main body and in fluid communication with said weep plate fitment mounting opening to allow contents to be withdrawn from said main body through said fitment.
 14. The liner of claim 13 wherein said protrusions are arranged in a pattern to form pathways towards said weep plate fitment mounting opening.
 15. The liner of claim in said protrusion are arranged in a radial array.
 16. The liner of claim 15 wherein said fitment mounting opening is located centrally within said radial array of protrusions.
 17. The liner of claim 13 wherein said liner has a select width and length and wherein said weep plate has a select width and length substantially smaller than said liner select width and length so as to define a marginal space therebetween.
 18. The liner of claim 13 further comprising a separate press plate positioned upon said liner top wall.
 19. The liner of claim 18 wherein said press plate includes a fitment opening and a recess configured to receive said weep plate.
 20. The liner of claim 19 wherein said press plate includes a radial array of downwardly extending protrusions positioned between the periphery of said press plate and said recess.
 21. The liner of claim 18 wherein said press plate includes a peripheral sidewall.
 22. The liner of claim 21 wherein said press plate sidewall include a handle.
 23. The liner of claim 13 further comprising a bottom plate coupled to said bottom wall. 